Santa Clara County declared a local emergency yesterday, setting aside $500k for free clinics, which will administer the swine flu vaccine to thousands of uninsured residents when the vaccine becomes available in mid-October. more ›

CBS5 reports that at least five Bay Area pregnant women in their early third trimesters have been admitted to intensive care units due to complications with the H1N1 swine flu. Two of the women are no longer in ICU, and all of the fetuses appear to be fine. Some of the women were apparently in perfect health before contracting the virus, and others had unnamed underlying conditions. more ›

Following on the heels of yesterday's East Bay flu fatality, making it the third reported H1N1-related casualty in the Bay Area, the World Health Organization upgraded the swine flu to pandemic status today. "The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, MD, warned at a news conference, going on to say, "Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection." more ›

Cabo San Lucas turns into a ghost town, more schools close in the East Bay, WHO raises pandemic threat level to 5, hand sanitizer flying off shelves -- Swine Flu Watch 2K9 is in full effect. As of Wednesday evening, there were "12 confirmed or probable cases" of the piggie flu in Contra Costa, Marin, and Santa Clara counties. However, according to public health officials, keeping track of flu case numbers will be "futile" since it's "spreading too fast to count accurately." (Gulp.) What's more, with so many people afraid that they might have caught the swine flu, hospitals are setting up special flu processing centers. That it to say, triage tents and makeshift screening center are being setup, such as the one in the parking lot of Sutter Delta in Antioch. more ›

"Much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes," reports AP, the U.S. government officially declared a public health emergency today due to the swine flu. So far, conformed outbreaks are as follows: four (4) people affected in Canada, sickened at least (20) in the U.S. (or 11, depending on which report you want to believe), and "killed dozens" in Mexico. more ›